Gravity Commons Podcast

Rev. Joel Bowman joins Matt to chat about the recent rash of mass shootings and how they are grappling with how to understand and respond. This conversation is more personal and raw than most of our podcasts. Rev. Joel A. Bowman, Sr. is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and has been in ministry for 28 years. He is the founder and senior pastor of the Temple of Faith Baptist Church, in Louisville, Ken...

Sheila Gregoire joins us (again!) to talk about how to raise girls to resist the all-too-prevalent toxic teachings of purity culture. She shares how we can raise girls instead to become strong, resilient young women who know who they are, use their voices, and confidently step into their lives. Sheila's new book is She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and...

Why do we find it difficult to find a healthy rhythm of work and rest? Author, storyteller, and songwriter Justin McRoberts talks about this as a journey from the false self to the true self, discovering that growth and maturity take root in the knowledge of our belovedness in Christ. Justin's new book Sacred Strides: The Journey to Belovedness in Work and Rest helps us learn that we are not t...

In our experience, leadership cultures that hinder human flourishing have several common overlapping aspects. If we can learn to see these signs of toxic leadership cultures, we can Here are the 5 signs of a toxic leadership culture we talk about in this episode: Reality distortion Loyalty culture Unable to have a Kairos Power flows up/in rather than down/out Conflict is mishandled Connect with G...

Too often when we come to the Bible, questions make us uncomfortable. But Marty Solomon wants to suggest that when we learn to ask better questions of the Bible, we form a new and deeper way of thinking about Scripture, understanding the Bible, and moving further into the depths of the mystery of God. Marty Solomon is a theologian, the president and director of discipleship for Impact Christian Mi...

There are several major social issues affecting the church today. Not only are they causing confusion, but they are also often hidden beneath the surface, shaping the life of a congregation in ways that are difficult to recognize. But transformation is possible if we'll face these issues directly, seeking to notice how God is at work in the midst of these issues to renew life. We can face thes...

It's common to hear Christians say things like "Christianity is neither right nor left, but a completely different kind of thing," and "Both the far-right and far-left are two sides of the same coin: fundamentalist extremes with different beliefs," and "“The problem is polarization." These phrases are often employed toward a Christian "third way" politics that s...

We finish (for now) our series on Mental Health and the Church with some reflections and questions we have about how faith and therapy relate: how they overlap and intersect, how they differ, and how to hold onto both. Connect with Gravity Leadership Leave us a message or ask a question  about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode. Join our online community  for fr...

We continue our series on Mental Health and the Church with our own stories and experiences with therapy and mental health: good, bad and ugly. Connect with Gravity Leadership Leave us a message or ask a question  about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode. Join our online community  for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus...

We continue our series on Mental Health and the Church with a few MORE myths you sent us in response to last week's episode, plus a conversation with some practical tips on how to be a "resonating witness" for others in conversations about mental health. Connect with Gravity Leadership Leave us a message or ask a question  about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a f...

Today we start a new series on Mental Health and the Church. Christianity in the US has had an uneasy history with the topic of mental health and illness, and we'd like to learn to integrate our faith with the best of what we're learning about mental health. This first episode deals with 5 common Christian myths about mental illness that need to be exposed and rejected if we're going t...

Deconstruction: is it just a trendy brand name for falling away from belief in God? Or a process essential to authentic faith? Is it liberation or trauma? Prison break or exile? Well, Bradley Jersak joins us again to say... it's complicated (just like you!). We talk with Bradley about the themes of his latest book  Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction ,  which explores the n...

Throughout Holy Week, two competing approaches to peacemaking collide: the way of Jesus and the way of the religious and political elite. What if we're investing our lives in the wrong approach? What if—despite clinging to the cross of Christ for our salvation—we’ve actually embraced a different approach to peacemaking? One that justifies killing enemies. One whose methods include nailing crim...

Father Richard Rohr has said that "all great spirituality is somehow about letting go." But what does that mean, and how does it actually work? How is this "letting go" different from not caring? Kevin Sweeney joins us to talk about this dynamic, which is the theme of his new book  The Joy of Letting Go: How One Thing Has the Power to Change Everything . Kevin Sweeney   was co-foun...

Lots of Christians have a complicated relationship with the Old Testament. It can seem arcane and boring, and even offensive in its depictions of God. Eric Seibert joins us to talk about an approach to reading the Old Testament that helps us actually enjoy it. His most recent book is  Enjoying the Old Testament: A Creative Guide to Encountering Scripture . Dr. Eric Seibert is a professor of OT at...

Sociologist Lisa Weaver Swartz joins us to talk how gender and power work in American evangelicalism, beyond the level of policies, theological positions, and aspirations. Her book  Stained Glass Ceilings: How Evangelicals Do Gender and Practice Power   explores this dynamic by examining the formation of evangelical leaders in two seminary communities, one complementarian (Southern Baptist Theolog...

What can we do to combat the misinformation that's impacting the people we care about and dividing our communities? Life and politics in the US are suffering from a raging knowledge crisis, and the church is no exception. Experienced journalist and author Bonnie Kristian helps us unpack this crisis and explore ways to combat it in our own lives, families, and church communities. These are the...

Christy, Matt, and Ben look back on 2022 and reflect on breakthroughs, challenges, learning, growth, and their favorite podcast episodes, as well as look to what 2023 will bring for their lives and the podcast. Ben and Matt also open a Christmas gift from Christy. Podcast episodes mentioned: David Ford: A Fresh Encounter with Jesus Through John’s Gospel Marc Alan Schelske: Cultivating Spiritual Gr...

Many American Christians have good intentions, working hard to welcome immigrants with hospitality and solidarity. But how can we do that in a way that empowers our immigrant neighbors rather than pushing them to the fringes of white-dominant culture and keeping them as outsiders? We talk with Karen González about these questions, which are the themes of her new book  Beyond Welcome: Centering Imm...

We talk with Dr. David Cramer and Dr. Myles Werntz about Christian nonviolence, which is not a settled position but rather a vibrant and living tradition. In their book  A Field Guide to Christian Nonviolence: Key Thinkers, Activists, and Movements for the Gospel of Peace , they offer   a concise introduction to diverse approaches to, proponents of, and resources for Christian nonviolence. Dr. Dav...

Get ready for your understanding of Genesis 22 to be turned upside down by J. Richard Middleton. While we normally think of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son as proof of his love for God, the exact opposite might be true: Is it possible that a careful reading of Genesis 22 could reveal that God was not pleased with Abraham's silent obedience? That's the theme of Middleton'...

Willie Dwayne Francois III joins us to talk about the practicalities of anti-racism. Specifically, we discuss the prevalence in US society of what he calls "white noise": the racist speech, ideas, and policies that lull us into inaction on racial justice, which is the theme of his book  Silencing White Noise: Six Practices to Overcome Our Inaction on Race. Willie Dwayne Francois III is sen...

Marc Alan Schelske join us (again!) to talk about journaling: what it is, why it works, and how to do it. No matter what your history is with journaling, Marc's method (outlined in his new book  Journaling for Spiritual Growth: Six Weeks to Build a Habit that Fosters Spiritual and Emotional Maturity )  is eminently practical and powerfully effective for fostering spiritual formation.  Marc is...

How does the Christian faith relate to a world stuck in ideological captivity? What happens when vast numbers of people abandon faith for pre-packaged sets of ideas they received from podcasts, videos, and online personalities? Those are the themes of Chris Nye's new book  A Captive Mind: Christianity, Ideologies, and Staying Sane in a World Gone Mad,  and the topic of our conversation in this...

We talked with Craig Greenfield about the profound difference it makes to shift our "missional posture" from providers / hosts / insiders to receivers / guests / outsiders. This is what his new book Subversive Mission: Serving as Outsiders in a World of Need is all about.  Craig Greenfield is the founder and director of Alongsiders International , a grassroots movement of young Christians...